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Years 7 and 8

Subject Content

Students in Years 7 and 8 follow a rotation system of 7 to 8 weeks in the three following disciplines:

  • Systems and Control
  • Product Design
  • Cooking and Nutrition

Students are encouraged to think about their own and others needs, wants and values within a range of contexts to help them understand and appreciate the world around them. 

Year 7
  • Fashion and Culture
  • Home and Leisure
  • Natural Environment
Year 8
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Construction
  • Engineering and Manufacturing

Within these units of work, our pupils are challenged to take risks, collaborate with others and use creative and critical thinking skills in a range of designs and do activities that inspire, motivate and enthuse pupils from all backgrounds and abilities. 

The products/dishes students will be making in Year 7 are:
  • Membrane Switch (Systems and Control)
  • CAM Toy (Product Design)
  • In cooking and nutrition - they will make a white sauce, chicken curry, pizza and small cakes
Year 8
  • Dark Activated Night Light (Systems and Control)
  • Handy Helper
  • Cooking and Nutrition they will make crumble, spaghetti bolognese, scones, chicken pie.

Assessment Details

The year is split into 3 units. Students are assessed early on to ascertain a D&T baseline which helps us better understand the prior knowledge of our students. Regular assessments are also made throughout each unit to help us and students reflect on knowledge and skill and to identify areas of improvement.

To be successful, students will need to be able to:

  • Write a design specification, identifying a user or group of users and their needs and wants (user centred design)
  • Be able to demonstrate skills in 3D drawing and representation
  • Know how to show creative thinking skills with mind mapping and idea generation
  • Create impact to design ideas using line weight, colour and texture
  • Demonstrate knowledge by selecting appropriate tools, materials, ingredients and processes 
  • Show good research skills when sourcing relevant information
  • Know how to apply principles of nutrition and healthy living/eating habits
  • Demonstrate skills in food preparation and cooking techniques
  • Consider the user/consumer when designing/creating products 
  • Be able to evaluate their own work and the work of others in a local or nation/international context
  • Use knowledge and skill from a range of other subjects; Maths, Science, ICT and Art
  • Be able to plan out processes prior to applying practical skills

Additional Equipment Recommended

  • Have a range of coloured pencils for adding colour and texture to designs
  • A fine and broad black marker for adding line weight and impact to design work

What can I do to support my child at home?

  • Encourage reading of design and technology news (https://www.wired.com) and new innovations in design, technology and materials.
  • Be curious about how things work, take broken products apart to learn more about how they work and what they may be made from (you could even cannibalise them to make something new).
  • Watch appropriate ‘design & make’ or ‘how stuff is made’ videos on YouTube
  • Provide access to the internet and a device to help with homework in Google Classroom

Recommended Resources for the Course

Websites

Teaching Staff 

Head of Design and Technology

Mr Poote - jpoote@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Teachers of Product Design

Mr Bonser - sbonser@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mr Henry - rhenry@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

Mrs Hankin - chankin@cottesloe.bucks.sch.uk

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